Bike front shock/fork?

Question

Okay why do some shocks have the rubber dust boots on them and others don't? See the link. The two bottom ones have them and the top one does not. (FYI the bottom right Manitou is what I have now) Question is do I need to keep the dust boots on mine? I want to take them off because there dirty and no matter how hard I try to clean them they look like c**p and ya gotta keep your ride clean lol. Also if you can tell me why the older forks have the boots and the newer ones these days don't. I know there to keep crud and dirt out but if thats the case every one would use them. Thanks for the help.

-Sarge

http://www.mtbr.com/oneonone/oneonone_shocks.gif

Answer 1

They are used to keep dust and dirt out of the inside of the fork. Most new forks use different seals and wipers to remove the dirt. I would not take them off as it will only ruin your front fork after time. Just buy a new fork if you are worried about it.

Answer 2

Even most of the cheapest forks today don't use the accordion boots anymore.  Those were common back in the day as a dust/water shield to keep the internals and shock oil clean.  It's the best they had at the time.  Since then, much, much better seals have been developed and the boots are no longer necessary.  In addition to better seals, the uppers are now also coated with very slick, durable finishes which further reduce any need for an external boot.  

Try using some lightweight synthetic lube like White Lightning Extreme or even some Armor All to clean the boots.  If you pinch/pull on the creases of the rubber with your index finger and thumb you can clean them up pretty nicely.....they'll only get dusty on the next ride, though.   And beware...if the boots are old, they can tear sometimes, so be gentle.  It's harder and harder to find replacements for them.